I love our middle child. She is totally awesome. Really, she is the coolest kid. She is tons of work and has really been very challenging more than a few dozen times, but she has the BEST personality. When Kalle is not around, our house is quiet and calm. But it is also pretty stinking boring! Kalle adds so much fun, excitement and adventure into our family. One of the best things about Kalle is her polite but energetic and enthusiastic ability to see the beauty in just about everything. I brought home a baby pumpkin from the store the other day and gave it to Kalle. She said "Oh! Its beautiful! Thank you very much mom!" repeated at least four or five times. Chris decided to test her and picked up a used paper cup off of the floor and gave it to her and she gave him the same reaction. She is so easy to please and sooooo rewarding.
When I was pregnant with her I prayed every night that she would cuddle. Jada and I rarely cuddled and I so desperately wanted a cuddly baby. My prayers were answered - Kalle still cuddles with me, a lot. I LOVE IT. Every single time Kalle sees me after we've been separated, she acts as if we're reuniting after years apart! Never has there been a child more enthusiastic when they see their mother than Kalle when she sees me. Her face lights up and she runs full speed into my arms cheering! Talk about a self-esteem booster!
Kalle has an enormous heart, she really just loves everyone. She is always willing to share anything she has - and happily too! If someone hurts her feelings or injures her, she will always accept their apology instantly. I think Kalle's capacity to love and forgive unconditionally is probably her greatest attribute.
In many ways, Kalle has finally grown up in just the past few months: her speech has become somewhat decipherable (she used to basically babble incoherent nonsense); her babyish but severe temper tantrums have lessened in frequency; and her very regular night terrors (blood-curdling screams, delirium and hysteria in the dead of the night) have thankfully almost completely stopped.
But in one way she has not changed at all - Kalle lives in another reality. I am completely serious. We do not know where this reality is, how to get there, or who/what else lives there with her. I have been awarded glimpses of this other world of hers, when I can figure out what she is talking about. Sometimes it is full of princesses and tea parties and birthday cakes and mermaids. Other times its full of fire-breathing dragons, race cars, monsters, witches and pirates. Whatever is in her reality at the time, is pretty much all-consuming in her life. She talks about, dreams about, and acts out these themes for weeks, sometimes months at a time. It is difficult for me to get Kalle to focus on anything other than what is in her world.
These days, Kalle's reality is full of unicorns. Pink, white, purple, and rainbow colored unicorns. She trots around the house on all fours neighing and slurping like she thinks unicorns do. The tops of her feet, her knees and her shins are bruised and covered in scabs from her banging them on the tile floor. Some times I am not really sure if she realizes that she literally is NOT a unicorn. At her preschool book fair last week we saw a book with a unicorn on the front and she wanted it. This in of itself is miraculous because I have not bought Kalle ONE book ever. Since infancy she has never been interested in books. I hate that. I will at any moment drop whatever I am doing to read with Kalle if she asked me. It rarely happens. I've convinced her to read with me a little bit these days, but very infrequently. So yes, I bought her the unicorn book without hesitation. We came home, read the book, and have read it at least 2 dozen times in the past week. AMAZING. This book was written about my daughter, it is based on her I'm convinced of it. The author must know Kalle. She must secretly be one of my friends or something. The book is called Goldilicious, from the Pinkalicious series.
I could not even believe that a book exists out there that completely epitomizes my daughter. Literally every page I was in awe. This adorable, pink-obsessed little girl and her imaginary pet unicorn indulge in all of Kalle's favorite things! They play hide-and-seek, fly kites, ride in hot air balloons, have tea parties, pretend to swim like mermaids and be pirates and then when her imaginary pet unicorn is no where to be found she poses the wittiest, most hilarious questions - "Goldie, where are you? Have you become one with the universe?" Don't worry, the unicorn is of course waiting in her bed so she can happily go to sleep. Kalle is in love with Goldie the unicorn and she sleeps with this book every nap and night.
Kalle has zero concept of time. I mean, ZERO. For instance, I had been talking about Kalle's upcoming birthday for weeks trying to get her excited (not hard to do mind you). We had looked at pictures to get ideas for a cake and party theme. Her birthday was going to be on a Saturday, so the Sunday before that her primary class at church wanted to recognize her and sing Happy Birthday to Kalle. I just happened to be in the room to witness this hilarious event. Kalle was quietly sitting on her chair completely engrossed in her small cup of treats she had been given when the leader in charge announced that it was almost Kalle's birthday. She looked up confused, and then said "Its my birthday??" and then she raised a fist high in the air and literally squealed blissfully "WHOO-HOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Everyone burst out laughing. Then Kalle was asked to stand in the front of the room and hold a cupcake poster with a hole cut out for her head while everyone sang to her. She danced around during the whole song, loving life.
I love this picture. I love Kalle's goofy, forced smile and the whirlwind blur of the classroom around her. So fitting...
This is Kalle and her two teachers Ms. Liz and Ms. B. I love these teachers and so does Kalle. They are perfect for her - they really give her lots of special attention and hugs, just what Kalle needs at this point in her life. I love this preschool... 
***I'm writing this part in January, a few months after her birthday...
Since Kalle's birthday was on the second to last Saturday before Halloween, we decided to spend the day combining a few things that Kalle loves. We started the day by singing Happy Birthday at least a dozen times (its her fav song ever) then Kalle had chocolate chip pancakes with sprinkles (Jada was only slightly jealous)...
Then we got a babysitter for the twins and Chris and I took just Jada and Kalle to a pumpkin patch/fall festival in Parkland. It was awesome! They had a bounce house, petting zoo, DJ playing music with dancing and prizes, flea market and tons of fair type food vendors. AND there was a corn maze, haunted house, hay rides and a pumpkin patch! We will definitely be going back again next year :-)
Think she loved it or what???
Here are just a few random favorite photos of my Kalle Roy...
sleeping beauty...
pancake lover...
Kalle with her tan little self trying to "hold" her brothers. Valiant effort. I think she even succeeded a little this time :-)
We love you Kalle!
You Rock.
1 comment:
I LOVE the pic with Jada's jealous look, I'm still laughing over it!! I have pics of all of you kids growing up doing that very same thing, so funny!! This was such a wonderful post. I love the fact that Kalle will go up to any woman and say "mommy, mommy", she makes all the ladies feel special when she does that, she calls me grammy since I look the most like her grammy and that is such a compliment. She also is so sweet when she says "it's dewitious!" How cute, you will always be happy you took the time to remember these special qualities of Kalle's!!
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